Skip to content
This webinar has taken place, and the recording is ready.Watch the recording
Back to all events
Live webinar

Group Therapy for Zors & Zees: An Unfiltered Conversation

What franchisees and franchisors won't say out loud

Franchisee Erik Van Horn and franchisor Dan Claps will say it anyway, in an honest IFA-hosted conversation about what each side actually wants.

  • Oct 21, 2026
  • 2:00 PM EDT
  • 60 min
  • Zoom, hosted by IFA
  • Erik Van Horn, Co-founder of Front Street Equity PartnersErik Van Horn
  • Dan Claps, CEO of Voda Cleaning & RestorationDan Claps
  • Doug Gabbard, Head of Growth at DelightreeDoug Gabbard

Why this session

Both sides of the franchise relationship, in one room

Franchisors and franchisees spend a lot of time talking about each other and not much time talking to each other. This session aims to fix that.

Erik Van Horn, who grew his first franchise to 42 locations and co-founded Front Street Equity Partners, will take the franchisee chair. Dan Claps, the CEO of Voda Cleaning & Restoration, will take the franchisor chair.

Doug Gabbard, our Head of Growth, will moderate and save time for your questions.

Potential topics include:

  • Royalties and how they're used to support franchisees
  • The tech mandates that land badly
  • Whether AI will fix anything or just add complexity
  • The anonymous questions you submit when you register

Presenting

Meet the speakers

Erik Van Horn, Co-founder of Front Street Equity Partners

Erik Van Horn

Co-founder, Front Street Equity Partners

Erik grew his first franchise to 42 locations in Austin and acquired eight more brands. He also hosts the Franchise Secrets Podcast, and one of his exits was an eight-figure sale to private equity.

Dan Claps, CEO of Voda Cleaning & Restoration

Dan Claps

CEO, Voda Cleaning & Restoration

Dan took Voda Cleaning & Restoration national and built it into a franchise network. He focuses on giving franchise owners the tools to compete in their markets, and he's also CEO of Franchise Playbook.

Doug Gabbard, Head of Growth at Delightree

Doug Gabbard

Head of Growth, Delightree

Doug leads growth at Delightree, the sponsor of this webinar, and grew up in franchising. He supported international development for Denny's and Dairy Queen at Edwards Global Services, then led growth and restaurant partnerships at Nextbite, working with 10,000 restaurants across the U.S.

· 2:00 PM EDT

Group Therapy for Zors & Zees: An Unfiltered Conversation

60 minutes, live, with Erik Van Horn, Dan Claps, and Doug Gabbard. Register and submit the question you'd ask if there were no relationship to protect.